Eight seconds

I came to photographing cowboys by chance. Or by family—which for me happens to be one and the same. My brother-in-law, Don Tanner, is part of the team that has been organizing the Wild Thing bull riding competition for many years. It takes place in the Tanner hometown of Gallup, New Mexico, and we’ve turned the annual July event into a family reunion. That’s how I got to go “backstage” at a bull riding competition for the first time—not that there’s a real backstage in the open-air arena surrounded by the stunning Gallup Red Rocks. 

I was taken in immediately by the extreme physicality of the sport, for both man and animal—but  even more so by the spirited young men and handful of women who ride and their timeless looks and styling. I was amazed by their impeccable old-time manners and their willingness to let me take their photograph at a moment of extreme concentration during a competition that is of vital importance to them and that they have traveled to from all over the West. This timelessness in spirit is reflected in the sport’s uniform of denim and colorful western shirts. The leather craftsmanship of their chaps and boots is extraordinary and striking. Were the photographs taken in black and white, it would be hard to place some riders correctly on a 100 year timeline—only the occasional cell phone being a giveaway.

Holding on for dear life for eight seconds: that’s what these riders train for all their lives, hoping to manifest their dreams of cowboy stardom and prize money. On this particular frontier at the Red Rock State Park in Gallup, cowboys and Indians fight the same fight against wild bulls and gravity. It’s a brotherhood of competitive spirit and support for one another. Friendship and camaraderie come easy to these riders bound together by youth, strength and their shared and quintessentially American pursuit of happiness.

The iconography and mythology of the American West prevails here—the denim and leather, and even the floral prints, radiate frontier masculinity and authenticity. The cowboy ethic both requires and produces a strong sense of identity and values, which have made it an honor and a pleasure documenting these riders over the course of five years for this book.

This isn’t a book about the sport of bull riding. It’s a glimpse into the world of the fierce men and women who pursue bull riding with style. You’ll also meet the future of the sport: boys and girls who ride muttons and are equally as fierce and stylish as the grownups. 

Long live the Wild West!

Lili Tanner